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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462680">New Year, New Everything</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gnarf/pseuds/gnarf'>gnarf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Caring Harry Potter, Dogs, Draco Malfoy has no wand, Exiled Draco Malfoy, Homeless Draco Malfoy, Homelessness, Hopeful Ending, Illnesses, Lack of personal hygiene, M/M, New Year's Eve, Pneumonia, Pre-Relationship, Starting Over, Unredeemed Draco Malfoy, baths, cough, cutting hair, giving shelter, minor injuries (not graphic), rash (not graphic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:02:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,281</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gnarf/pseuds/gnarf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry had taken his neigbours dogs on uneventful walks nearly every day for the past year. </p>
<p>On New Year's Eve, things change they say.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>140</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>New Year, New Everything</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you to my lovely Beta Ladderofyears  I love you darling <br/>And thank you to Orpheous87 for once again explaining the English language to me </p>
<p>I saw a man walking his dogs, and they were very interested in some bushes. Thats all I need to get ideas for fics it seems. I hope you enjoy this one. </p>
<p>Please mind the hopeful ending tag. The fic is Pre-Relationship and will stay that way until the internet explodes or someone else comes to my inbox and asks me if they can write more for it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As far as Harry could tell, everything up until this point had been normal. He had picked up his elderly neighbour’s dogs for their evening stroll like he always did. They took their usual route, and the dogs behaved normally. </p>
<p>But that changed as they walked past a group of trees and bushes which they usually ignored, knowing that there's a pond at the end of the path which was much more interesting to them. Not this time.</p>
<p>The dogs, usually very well behaved, started barking and pulling Harry towards the frozen bushes. After a few seconds of ever growing persistence and whimpering by the dogs, Harry reluctantly followed them.</p>
<p>He wasn't keen to see what the dogs had found. In the best case scenario, it'd be a bag of trash that somehow smelt tasty to them. </p>
<p>Harry refused to even consider the worst case.</p>
<p>The dogs slowed down in front of yet another group of bushes, sniffing the ground to discover whatever it was they were looking for. After a minute, they had found a nearly hidden path leading them deeper into the bushes and semi forest around them. </p>
<p>Sighing, Harry followed them, silently cursing every single branch that clawed and tugged at his jeans. </p>
<p>Suddenly the dogs stopped, and Harry looked up from his desperate tries to ditch the worst thorny traps on the path. A tent. There was a tent, in the middle of nowhere. And somebody in this tent had a bad cough from what he was starting to hear.</p>
<p>"Uhm, hello?" Harry asked, not daring to get closer to this tent. </p>
<p>"I'm not at home," a voice from the inside snarled before another coughing fit hit him.</p>
<p>Suppressing a snort, Harry looked down at the dogs. They looked at him wagging their tails, very proud of themselves for finding whomever this was. Harry's best guess would be a homeless man who seemed to be in need of urgent help by the way the dogs had pulled him here. </p>
<p>"I'm not here to make any trouble, my neighbour’s dogs pulled me to your tent. Is there anything I can help you with, Sir? Money? Food? Medicine?"</p>
<p>"For fucks sake," the voice grumbled. "Potter? Is that you? My fucking luck never runs out it seems."</p>
<p>"Do we know us?" Harry asked, stunned. The man had said Potter, he was sure he had heard that correctly. But nobody here knew him. He didn't even go with that name anymore.</p>
<p>"No. And now leave."</p>
<p>Narrowing his eyes, Harry decided that he would do the exact opposite. "I'm going to open this tent now, you better not be some kind of pervert."</p>
<p>His only answer was another bad cough, so Harry stepped forward and bowed to open the tent flap. He looked inside.</p>
<p>It was not a wizard’s tent, that much he was sure about. It was dark, small, and stuffed with different things someone homeless would need to survive in the winter cold. On the left was a heap of fabric and, upon another cough, Harry guessed correctly that there was someone buried under it, trying to stay warm.</p>
<p>"You don't sound too well." Harry stated.</p>
<p>"Really? Thank Merlin for your observation skills, Potter. I wouldn't have known without you." A head popped out of the covered up sleeping back and Harry tried his best to not scream in shock.</p>
<p>"Malfoy?"</p>
<p>"Again with the observations. Well done. Take a good look at me and my misery and then leave, Potter. I don't fancy people watching me die." </p>
<p>Malfoy really did look like he was close to his end. He was barely able to breathe, his face was red and puffy and his eyes had already lost all signs of life. "Not gonna happen. I'm taking the dogs home and then I'll be back to get you in about ten minutes. Usually I'd say something like ‘don't move’ but you don't look like you could."</p>
<p>"I don't want your help, Potter," Malfoy spat.</p>
<p>"Well, good thing that I've never listened to you. I won't start now." Harry closed the zipper of the tent. He would not let Malfoy die here.</p>
<p>Leading the dogs back out onto the path, Harry ran. He ran until he saw the lights of their home in front of him. The dogs didn't mind some extra exercise. Out of breath, his lungs burning like fire, Harry rang his neighbour’s doorbell and waited for one of them to open the door to push the lashes into their hand. "Urgent personal business, see you tomorrow!"</p>
<p>Not waiting for an answer, Harry turned to walk into a dark alley to apparate back to Malfoy's tent. </p>
<p>As predicted, Malfoy hadn't moved since Harry had left him. "Is there anything you need from here? I'll hide your tent, nobody will get into it while you're gone."</p>
<p>"Take a good look around yourself, Potter, and tell me if you see anything even remotely worth keeping." </p>
<p>Shrugging, Harry picked up a rucksack and threw some clothes into it before he shouldered the thing and bowed down to help Malfoy up. "I'll apparate us directly into my house, can you stand for a minute or two?"</p>
<p>"If I say no, will you leave then?" Malfoy coughed.</p>
<p>"No, I'd call an ambulance."</p>
<p>"Fine. Help me up, will you?"</p>
<p>Taking Malfoy's arm, Harry helped him to crawl out of the tent and get on his feet outside. He smelt like he hadn't showered in weeks, but there was nothing a few spells couldn't fix as soon as they were back at his house. Once he had Malfoy in an upright position, Harry turned to hide the tent with a few spells before he apparated them both into his warm living room.</p>
<p>Helping Malfoy onto his sofa, Harry got him a glass of water and set everything up to make soup. Next, he went back to the living room where he fire-called Luna who instantly agreed to come over. </p>
<p>Leaving her to take care of Malfoy, Harry went to the kitchen to get to work.</p>
<p>Thirty minutes later, Luna joined him.</p>
<p>"So how is he?" Harry asked while stirring his pot.</p>
<p>"Bad. I'd say you got him just in time. I don't know if he'd have made another night out there. But there's nothing that we can't fix with some time and care. I gave him some potions, and instructions on how to take them. I'll give you the instructions to remind him to take them and how to care for him. The Ministry broke his wand, he's not welcome in our world anymore, I can't take him to St. Mungo`s. But I'll come over every evening for the next few days to check on him."</p>
<p>Nodding, Harry looked down at his own wand. He had read about Malfoy being exiled in the Prophet. But he had never thought about what that'd mean for the man. Harry had expected for him to leave and play Muggle in one of the Malfoy's many houses elsewhere on the world. "Thanks Luna. Is there anything important I should know?"</p>
<p>"Monitor him tonight and call me if his cough gets worse. The soup is a good idea, and I left him something to add to a bath later. It'll clear his airways and heal the cuts and bruises he has. Make sure he doesn't drown in your bathtub. He has a rash on his back, so you'll have to help him with the salve I left for that one after the bath."</p>
<p>Harry listened closely so he wouldn't miss anything. Luna had become a great Healer, and Harry trusted her with his life. </p>
<p>"You realise that the next few days won't be easy for you, right? Are you sure you can do this, Harry?" She asked, her big eyes filled with worry.</p>
<p>"Yeah. It's not like I'd have anything else to do," Harry shrugged.</p>
<p>"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't hesitate to call me if anything goes wrong. You ought to watch the fireworks together if he's able to stay awake till midnight. They're good for lifting the spirits."</p>
<p>Smiling, Harry promised her they would if Malfoy was awake. That made her visibly cheer up before she left.</p>
<p>Deciding the soup was good enough now, Harry filled two bowls and carried them to the living room. He found Malfoy lying on the sofa buried under at least five blankets.</p>
<p>"Hungry?" Harry asked the mop of dirty blond hair that was visible in the pile.</p>
<p>"Why are you helping me?" Malfoy's muffled voice wondered. Harry thought he already sounded better, his breathing nearly back to normal.</p>
<p>"Why not? Get up, I made soup for us."</p>
<p>Malfoy didn't answer. But at least he sat up and reached for the bowl Harry was handing him. </p>
<p>They ate in silence, Malfoy even shyly asking for a second bowl, and then even a third, to which Harry’s only comment was an affectionate laugh. He was more than willing to give Malfoy as much food as he wanted. </p>
<p>"You've always been a do-gooder."</p>
<p>Surprised by Malfoy actually speaking, not in an annoyed tone, but actually calm and soft, Harry looked at him, waiting to see if there’d be more.</p>
<p>"You could have let me die out there, but instead you take me home and let me taint your space with my dirt. And all this even though you know that I'm not welcome in any part of the wizarding world and that I'll never be able to repay you for your help."</p>
<p>"You're not tainting anything," Harry replied. "And I don't expect anything from you. I was not okay with what the Ministry did to you, but I left the wizarding world before you got out of Azkaban, nobody wanted to hear my opinion anymore. So I moved here, nobody here knows me, I don't even use my surname anymore to keep them from finding me. Not even my Floo connection is legal seeing that I never signed anything for it. I'm tired of them." Harry took a deep breath before he looked up to catch Malfoy's eyes. "I'm glad I can help you, glad I found you. I don't care what people say."</p>
<p>"You never did," Malfoy huffed. </p>
<p>"I'll get you some fresh clothes and then you can take a bath. Luna said if you manage to stay awake we should watch the fireworks to lift your spirits."</p>
<p>"Fireworks? Is it already New Year’s Eve?" Malfoy asked, slightly confused.</p>
<p>"Yes. How long have you been on the streets?"</p>
<p>"Two years, give or take," Malfoy frowned. "Mother managed to hide some money for me before she fled so I could stay in cheap motels last winter. Needless to say that there wasn't anything left this year."</p>
<p>Humming, Harry got up to get clothes and find his fluffy bathrobe. Nobody deserved to end up like this. Not even Malfoy. He needed to speak to Hermione tomorrow. They had left Malfoy with nothing, and he surely wasn't the only one.</p>
<p>Passing by his bathroom, Harry already started to fill the tub with hot water. Ten minutes later he was back to help Malfoy get in there without slipping. </p>
<p>Skin and bones was everything that was left of him. But Harry knew that even though he didn't look like his old self anymore, Malfoy hadn't lost any of his snark. </p>
<p>"Do you want to cut off my hair?" Malfoy asked after long minutes of silence in the bathroom. "That's a once in a lifetime offer, Potter."</p>
<p>"Cut off your—? I actually have a Muggle thing here that'll cut them down evenly if you want to get rid of them." Harry would have been lying if he'd said that cutting off Malfoy's hair wasn't something he'd dreamt about since they'd both been at Hogwarts. </p>
<p>Sure, when they were kids he'd have done it out of spite, just to see what the git would do without his sleek blond hair. But now, the feeling of excitement was still the same, even though Malfoy had asked him to do it.</p>
<p>"Just chop it off. It'll grow back. It's not like I'd be able to comb through it anymore," Malfoy sighed before he closed his eyes.</p>
<p>Excited like a small kid on Christmas Morning, Harry jumped up to get scissors and his clippers. If he got rid of the worst matting first then he wouldn't have to shave everything off, which would make Malfoy look more like Malfoy again.</p>
<p>The result wasn't that bad. A bit shorter than he had his hair in school, but not too short. Harry was actually proud of himself for not making Malfoy look ridiculous on purpose. </p>
<p>By the time Malfoy climbed out of the bathtub it was abundantly clear that he wouldn't stay awake till the fireworks. He was already half asleep by the time Harry finished spreading the salve over Malfoy's back. </p>
<p>Helping him to Harry's bed, Harry tucked him in and transformed his desk into a smaller bed at the other side of the room so he could monitor him, like he had promised Luna he would.</p>
<p>Malfoy was dead to the world within seconds. He didn't cough much in his sleep, which Harry took for a good sign. Things would get better for him, Malfoy would be healthy again in no time. And then they could take care of their next steps together. Because one thing was for sure, Harry wouldn't let him go back to being homeless.</p>
<p>When the fireworks started cracking outside, Harry already had a plan. The new year promised to be an exciting one. The Ministry had fucked up one too many times, and it was time for a few changes.</p>
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